SUNNY BUT CHILLY TODAY, A HIGH OF 36.
PARTLY CLOUDY TONIGHT BELOW 23.
MIXED PRECIPITATION TOMORROW WITH A HIGH OF 35.
MOSTLY CLOUDY THROUGH THE NIGHT LOW OF 32.
WEDNESDAY, MOSTLY CLOUDY TEMPERATURES IMPROVED WITH A HIGH OF 50.
Coudersport home destroyed by fire…..A Port Allegany man has been jailed after a police chase…Several area motorists arrested for DUI….Johnsonburg motorcyclist seriously hurt in Elk County accident Sunday….Vandals damage combine parked near Huss Road in Annin Township…..
Coudersport Vol. Fire Department photo
Potter County
A Coudersport house was leveled by fire yesterday. Coudersport volunteers were summoned at 1:12pm to 906 South Main Street where the house was fully involved . The owner had safely exited the house and was standing nearby with neighbors when first responders arrived. Coudersport was assisted by volunteers from Ulysses Shinglehouse, Port Allegheny and Roulette. The cause of the fire is undetermined, and the house was a total loss. According to Coudersport fire chief BryanPhelps, the owner was taken to UPMC Cole by Coudersport ambulance for treatment. Chief Phelps thanked all the departments who assisted as well as neighbors and the local Sheetz which refreshments to the firefighters. The fire was declared under control a couple of hours later and all units were back in service by 5pm.
McKean County
A Port Allegany driver has been jailed in connection to an incident allegedly taking place Friday afternoon on East Street and East Water Street in Smethport Borough, State Police at Lewis Run say they tried to initiate a traffic stop on State Route 155. North near the Chaplin Hill intersection when they observed a 1998 Volkswagen Jetta committed several traffic violations and police claim that the driver, 30 year old Robert Hamilton tried to flee in the vehicle and a pursuit ensued. He traveled north and turned west on to State Route 446 then continued on State Route 46 and fled into Smethport borough where the car failed to make at the intersection and crashed through private property. Police claim Hamilton was found to be driving under the influence of a controlled substance and a DUI suspended license habitual offender he was taken into custody and transported to Bradford Regional Medical Center for chemical testing and then was transported to the McKean county jail on a probation detainer. Charges will be filed following blood test results according to police. They were assisted by several area departments during the chase.
Two people have been arrested for drug possession after their 2003 Subaru Impreza was stopped on Wood Street and Kane borough last Thursday night. Police claim that when they initiated a traffic stop they determined that the driver was driving the car under the influence of a controlled substance and a search e of the vehicle was conducted which yielded controlled substances and paraphernalia. The driver was taken to UPMC came for a legal blood draw and charges are pending in District Court. T passenger in the vehicle is also being charged for possessing a controlled substance. They were identified as 19 year old Marah Nicholas of James City and 20 year old Zachary Zilkcofski of Kane. Police did not say which on was the driver and which one was the passenger.
A 23 year old Olean New York driver is facing DUI charges after troopers made a “mere encounter” of a vehicle which abruptly pulled off the side of the road Saturday morning at around 3:30am. Police say upon making contact with the operator, whose name they did that release, it was found that he was driving under the influence .
A 32 year old Eldred man, whose name was not revealed by troopers is also being charged with possessing drug paraphernalia after his vehicle is stopped on the Barnum road at Artline Road in Eldred
A criminal mischief occurring on Huss Drive at Route 155 in Annin Township McKean County sometime between Saturday March 6 and this past Thursday, March 11. Vandals smashed a windshield on a John Deere combine causing $1,000 in damage. The machine is owned by a 57 year old Smethport man and a 55 year old Smethport woman. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lewis Run Barracks.
Elk County
A Johnsonburg motorcyclist was seriously injured in an accident occurring Saturday afternoon on the Bootjack road in Ridgeway Township State Police report. Jeffrey Vanzanten ,37, was going south on Route 219 when his URAL hit a pothole next to the roadside when he tried to pass a vehicle on the right. The bike rolled over and Vanzenten was thrown off the motorcycle he was taken to Altoona Hospital for treatment of serious injuries.
Statewide
State Police are reminding Pennsylvania residents to be vigilant about scams involving gift cards. Authorities are aware of several variations on scams in which the scammer claims the victim has a problem that must be solved immediately, and that payment in gift cards is required to solve it. Some of the variations include claims of problems such as outstanding warrants, tax debts or utility bills, claims that a relative is visiting overseas and needs money to pay a hospital bill or bail that is frequently called “the grandparents” scam. Claims to be collecting gift cards for charity or promises of employment in exchange for payment. These jobs do not exist, or may involve illegal activities, requests sent by email or text from a friend for a “favor” to purchase gift cards which claimed that the friend will pay the victim back. In each of those scams, the scammer requests payment and gift cards. Because of they were widely available in many denominations, are untraceable and often the only information on the back of the card is needed to redeem it. Once the cards are purchased. the scammer will instruct the victim to read the information over the phone or take a photo of the back of the card and text it to the scammer. Police say that government agencies don’t accept gift cards for payment of taxes or other debts. They also send notifications of such that in writing ignore anyone who claims you owe a debt that must be repaid with gift cards. If someone claims to be collecting gift cards for charity, contact charity directly to verify the request. If someone who claims to know you asked for a gift card in favor or to get out of trouble contact that person directly to verify the situation. It is most likely a scam. The victim may have the report possible identity theft or change the hacked password.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., March 13, that there were 2,840 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 964,296. The situation continues to improve in the Black Forest Broadcasting service area. And King County has 2338 confirmed cases taget 2194 elk 1257 Potter 832 and Cameron 178. In neighboring New York State Cattaraugus County is still going up with a total of 4562 confirmed cases, and Allegany County has 2957 confirmed cases
There are 1,463 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19. Of that number, 313 patients are in the intensive care unit with COVID-19. Most of the patients hospitalized are ages 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. The trend in the 14-day moving average number of hospitalized patients per day is about 4,500 lower than it was at the peak on December 25, 2020., The current 14-day average is now also below what it was at the height of the spring peak on May 3, 2020.
Statewide percent positivity for the week of March 5 – March 11 stood at 5.7% an improvement over he previous week.
The most accurate daily data is available on the website, with archived data also available.
As of 11:59 p.m., Friday, March 12, there were 43 new deaths identified by the Pennsylvania death registry, reported for a total of 24,573 deaths attributed to COVID-19. County-specific information and a statewide map are available on the COVID-19 Data Dashboard.
Pennsylvania hospitals began receiving shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine the week of Dec. 14 and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine the week of Dec. 21. The Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine was first allocated to Pennsylvania the week of March 1, and the commonwealth is using it for a special initiative involving educators. Vaccination numbers for Pennsylvania do not include Philadelphia, which is its own jurisdiction, or federal facilities, which are working directly with the federal government.
- More than 3.5 million doses of vaccine administered across the state — more vaccine administered than 44 other states.
- More than 1.2 million people fully vaccinated — more than 74,000 people per day receiving vaccinations.
- Nearly 1 million people aged 65 and older vaccinated.
- More than 390,000 total doses have been administered to long-term care and other facilities through the Federal Pharmacy Partnership where more than 156,000 residents and staff are fully vaccinated.
- This week, a total of 4,179,220 doses will have been allocated through March 13:
- To date, of the 4,179,220 doses allocated through March 13, 3,535,956 doses total have been administered through March 12:
o First doses, 97 percent (2,361,804 administered of 2,427,085 allocated)
o Second doses, 68 percent (1,200,195 administered of 1,752,135 allocated)
Mask-wearing is required in all businesses and whenever leaving home. Consistent mask-wearing is critical to preventing the spread of COVID-19.
There are 116,909 individuals who have a positive viral antigen test and are considered probable cases and 640 individuals who have a positive serology test and either COVID-19 symptoms or a high-risk exposure.
There are 3,989,292 individuals who have tested negative to date.
In licensed nursing and personal care homes, there are 68,470 resident cases of COVID-19, and 13,835 cases among employees, for a total of 82,305 at 1,558 distinct facilities in all 67 Approximately 25,686 of the total cases are among health care workers.
- Vaccine provider map to find a COVID-19 vaccine provider near you.